MiSha/Mikail

Tenko Shimura had just started his 3rd and final year at UA High School, the highest-ranked Hero Academy in the country. Tenko couldn’t care less about ranks, though. No, his reason for choosing this particular school was for an entirely different reason.

When Tenko was five years old, he had murdered his family. It had been an accident, of course. The manifestation of a deadly quirk, which had gone completely out of control and, in a matter of minutes, had managed to destroy the small boy’s entire reality. He could still feel the emotions from that day so strongly he thought it was going to make him sick. The sadness, confusion, panic, desperation, hysteria, anger…ecstasy…

…hollowness.

What had begun as a horrible tragedy had ended in the conscious decision to finish what he had accidentally started, when Tenko willingly had grabbed his father’s face with all five of his fingers, ending the terror of the man who, throughout Tenko’s entire life, had only taught him the despair of being unloved and the fear of being hated. Like a scene out of a horror movie, his father had disintegrated in front of the child, hair, flesh, and bones all breaking apart, at last turning into mere dust, raining down at his feet.

As his anger subsided, Tenko Shimura had collapsed on the ground. Not knowing what to do or where to go, he had decided to stay put.

That was when he was discovered, at last. 

Saved, at last.

He was saved by the number one hero, All Might. The Symbol of Peace. But behind the famous hero persona was a normal human, Toshinori Yagi, who sympathized with the little, broken boy and, in the end, had opened up, not only his heart, but also his home for him. Adopting the boy and taking care of him, as if he had been his own son.

Tenko Shimura grew up loved. He grew up with the teachings of his dad, Toshinori, and he grew up to see a world so different from the one he had known while living with his biological father. He grew up to respect heroes, and when the time came, he wanted to get into UA, the very same school that his dad had once attended. That was Tenko’s reason for applying to the prestigious Hero Academy.

Once he had gotten accepted, however, he quickly realized the downside of being under the care of the most famous hero in the country. Tenko was, in almost every aspect, nothing like his dad, and that, mixed together with his introverted personality and his villainous quirk, made him the talk of the school. He hated every second of it, but there was nothing he could do. Slowly, he started to live with the rumors and the way people abruptly stopped talking when he entered a room, clearly interrupted in the middle of a conversation, which wasn’t meant for him to hear.

He adapted.

He had hoped that things would cool down after the 1st year, but it never seemed to be the case. And now, having just entered his 3rd year, he could feel the pressure starting to break through his barrier.

The pressure had started to keep him up at night. He would lie awake for hours, unwillingly listening to the whispering voices of his classmates all around him, as they repeated themselves over and over again in his head. He knew he would never be like his dad. That was a fact he had accepted many years ago. He was not going to be the new symbol of peace. He wasn’t strong enough. Fast enough. Good enough. But he could still be a pro-hero. Or that was at least what he kept telling himself, as the voices in his mind, informing him that he would never be as great as his famous dad, increased in volume.

Fuck it.

Growling at his own pathetic nature, Tenko sat up in his bed, his eyes landing on the alarm clock by his bedside out of sheer habit. 3:26 AM. Wonderful. What a perfect time to be wide awake like this. In the end, he decided that there was no use just lying in his bed, feeling sorry for himself. Since he was awake anyway, he thought he could just as well go out and patrol the area for a while. He hoped that it could help to take away some of the pressure that clung to his heart with an iron grip.

As he went to put on some clothes, Tenko put on a new pair of gloves as well, throwing the ones he had been wearing when trying to fall asleep into his laundry basket, which was already filled to the brim. He had just about a million different pairs at this point. He mostly wore them to calm his own mind. In those specially made gloves, where only his pinkie- and ring finger got to see the light of day, he could rest assured that he wasn’t going to accidentally break something with his quirk.

Accidentally hurt someone.

He only took them off when he was doing hero work, and it was still usually only on one hand, so he would still be able to help others, without risk, with the other.  -----

The night was calm. It seemed like the actual pro-heroes, who usually resided in this area of the city, had everything under control. Tenko clicked his tongue, his eyes scanning the neighborhoods that were visible from the rooftop he was currently sitting on. Nothing. His gaze fell downwards, landing on a small pile of stones someone had gathered near a tree below him. With a small sigh, Tenko made his way down to the ground and over to the pile, taking off one of his gloves in the process. He watched with boredom in his eyes as one of the stones disintegrated between his fingers, its dusty remains quickly being taken by the wind, spreading it out in the air above him. As always, his quirk worked without fail. Still, he wasn’t exactly going to become a better hero just by decaying stones. There wasn’t much training in that. Even though he had gotten his Provisional Hero License around a year ago, Tenko had not been able to use his quirk much out in the open anyway. Not just for simple training at least, since he had to be careful not to destroy anything of value or importance just for his own purposes.

Tenko was forced out of his own mind as a strange sound suddenly reached him. Curious about its origin, Tenko decided to investigate, and soon it led him away from the more populated areas and down some smaller and more narrow roads. There were no major stores in this area, only small shops, which all, in some way or another, seemed somewhat sketchy. However, what was a casual shopper’s nightmare could easily be a thief’s dream, as these types of shops normally didn’t have much, if any, security. Tenko clenched his fist as he rounded a corner, finally locating the source of the noise. 

Standing only a couple of feet away from him was a boy who seemed to be around the same age as himself. Walking a few steps closer, Tenko stopped dead in his tracks as the boy turned around to face him. His face. What the fuck was wrong with his face? Tenko had seen a lot of weird people, but someone having surgical staples all across their face, like some sort of crude medical procedure gone wrong, well, that was a first. This boy had clearly been through some fucked-up shit. He was also, very clearly, about to break into one of the small, rundown shops.

For a long moment, both of them simply stood there, awkwardly staring at each other. It seemed like they were both waiting for the other to do something. Anything. Tenko, for his part at least, knew that he had to be cautious since there was no telling how dangerous this stranger was. However, he also couldn’t help but feel fascinated, as he for the first time noticed how the boy’s eyes were glowing. They were almost like fire, lighting up the dark air surrounding them.

“So…?” Tenko’s muscles tensed when the stranger finally decided to speak. He was, however, immediately taken aback by what followed next; “…you come here often? Haven't seen you around here before, hot stuff~”.

Tenko blinked as he felt his face fall into skepticism. Had that boy just…? No. No, that was ridiculous. Shaking his head lightly, Tenko did his best to focus on the situation at hand. Possible villain. Attempted robbery. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

"I sure do hope you weren’t just trying to rob that shop, or else I'd have to drag your ass to the police station," Tenko answered coldly, letting the stranger know exactly what his deal was.

The stranger, however, seemed nowhere affected by Tenko’s words. A smirk crept onto his face, and he slowly walked closer. “A hero, huh? It seems like my hunch was right; only a hero would be out at this hour of the night. Well, only a hero…and me.” He grinned, eyes burning even more wildly than before.

Tenko said nothing; he just prepared himself for the upcoming fight. That boy seemed strong, but he wasn’t someone Tenko thought he couldn’t handle. He hadn’t been training almost every day for the last two years on the hero course for nothing, after all. Even though he didn’t have much confidence in himself as a person, he did have confidence in his training, as well as his quirk, if he had to go that far.

He sincerely hoped that he didn’t.

“What’s wrong, hero? Cat got your tongue?” The stranger’s voice turned into a purr. “Or are you that afraid of me?”

“In your dreams,” Tenko spat out, refusing to let himself get mocked by some low-life villain.

It all happened so fast. The stranger leaped forward, a vicious grin plastered onto his face and fire burning in his eyes. He spun around on one foot, shifting his weight to the other leg before slamming his knee up into Tenko’s jaw. Tenko stumbled back, the taste of blood welling up in his mouth. He tried to steer clear of his opponent's attack, but the stranger grabbed the collar of his shirt and forced him up against the solid brick wall, pinning him in place. Aside from the tight grip around the fabric of his shirt, his opponent had also positioned his palm against Tenko’s chest, further hindering his possibility of escape. Mentally weighing his options, Tenko knew that he had to get one of his gloves off. If he could just disintegrate the wall behind him, he could get some more space between himself and the other boy, while simultaneously using the element of surprise to his own advantage.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, he suddenly found the stranger’s face to be much closer to his own than it had been before. He could feel hot breath against his face, strangely contradicting the cold night air. The stranger leaned in even closer, and the air got stuck in Tenko’s throat. Too close. Too close.

“Crimson? Nice.”

Tenko barely had a chance to blink before the stranger had pulled away from him, turning around on his heel and sprinting down the dark alleyway. He caught a glimpse of his face and saw how the edges of his mouth had once again been pulled upwards, stretching the different patches of skin, as he grinned from ear to ear.

In the confusion, Tenko failed to realize that the heat on his face was no longer just the result of the stranger’s warm breath, but also the faint blush, quickly spreading across his cheeks.

Tenko hated himself. When he finally made it back to bed, he had even more trouble falling asleep than before, mentally running the scene in that alleyway over in a constant loop. Not only had he let a villain escape, but he had also let himself get manipulated by said villain. His heart was beating so fast. Too fast.

Manipulated by a villain. God, he absolutely despised himself. -----

“Too slow on the blocking, Shimura.”

Tenko groaned in pain as he let a shivering hand run over his stomach. He looked up when he heard his teacher’s comment, biting back a sharp “no shit”, instead focusing his energy on trying to gather himself.

For days now, Tenko had been bothered by the event that had transpired that one night. It had started to get to the point where he could have sworn he saw that patchwork-faced villain multiple times during the day. Always out of the corner of his eye. Always just out of reach. Tenko was certain; he was starting to go insane. He had even gotten himself distracted during a sparring match with one of his classmates, resulting in the aforementioned classmate’s water quirk hitting him directly in the abdomen with full force. Before Tenko had had a chance to react, he had been sent flying backward towards the ground, and he now found himself heaving for air, his gym clothes and hair completely soaked from the water.

This was getting out of hand.

Tenko knew that he had to do something about this luring entity, this ghost who haunted his mind every waking moment. He wasn't exactly sure what, he just knew that something had to happen, or he would seriously end up losing his mind.

That same night, he went to the alleyway from a few nights before, only to find it completely empty. Tenko cursed under his breath, annoyed that he had allowed himself to naively believe that he would find the stranger in the exact same place as last time. Of course, it wasn’t going to be that easy. Having no clues to go after, Tenko decided to just look around the more rundown areas of the city. Where people kept to themselves, and where, if you saw something you weren’t supposed to see, you stayed quiet about it. It seems like the only place a villain with such a distinct face would be able to still go unnoticed. Unless, of course, he had already left the city at this point. Tenko immediately shot that thought away, ignoring the knot that had formed in his stomach.

After hours of searching, he finally found him. Illuminated by the dim light of a streetlight, the stranger stood leaning up against a wall, smoking a cigarette, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.

 “You!” Tenko yelled, easily catching the stranger’s attention. “We got some unfinished business!”

The boy turned his head, his eyes examining Tenko. It felt like those glowing blue eyes were able to see right through him.

“We sure do,” he answered, lightly pushing himself away from the wall and throwing the cigarette butt on the ground. “I’ve been waiting for you to come back.”

“Waiting for me? You really want me to beat you up that badly?”

“Big words coming from someone who got his ass kicked today.”

“So, you have been following me!” Tenko burst out before he had a chance to stop himself. As bad as it was to have a villain following you around, at least it meant he wasn’t completely losing his mind, after all. “You fucking stalker.”

The stranger only reacted with a light shrug. “Says the guy who runs around in the middle of the night looking for a villain.”

“It’s kinda a part of the job description, idiot.”

“Is getting soaked with water also a part of the job description?”

Tenko felt his fingers twitch, but he tried his best not to lose his temper. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t just attack a guy who technically hadn’t done anything illegal, since he had been able to stop him before he got to rob that shop the other night. Suddenly, Tenko wondered what he had even planned to do when he found that villain again. Had he been expecting the stranger to attack him?

Had he secretly hoped for it?

“Hey.” Tenko blinked. “Reality to hero boy, the real world is outside your head, ya know.” The stranger was calling out to him, seemingly annoyed about Tenko’s lack of response. Was he upset that Tenko hadn’t been paying attention to him for a moment?

“Sorry, I just got too bored listening to your talking,” Tenko answered with a dry tone.

“Oh, so you want something a bit more interesting, huh?” The stranger slowly moved forward, a look of anticipation appearing in his eyes. “Then how about this: you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.”

“What?!” Tenko hissed. He took several steps away from the other boy.

“Breathe, hero. I mean our quirks.”

Hearing the other’s explanation made Tenko stop, suspicion washing over him. He said nothing.

The stranger sighed. He then stretched his arm out to the side, turning his palm up against the night sky. Tenko watched intensely as blue flames emerged from the stranger’s hand, dancing lazily on top of his palm. It was easy to imagine how much damage a villain could cause with a fire quirk like that, but right now, in its tame and controlled state, Tenko couldn’t help but admire those flames.

And just like that, they disappeared.

The stranger grinned when he noticed Tenko’s stare. “Your turn.”  

Tenko felt the uneasiness slowly creep onto him. Every logical part of his mind was screaming at him not to just reveal his quirk to a villain like that. Who even knew what he might do with that information? But despite all of his inner protests, Tenko watched himself slowly take off one of his gloves. His eyes scanned the ground, finally landing on a piece of brick, lying up against the side of a shop. He walked quietly, feeling the stranger’s intense gaze, as he picked up the brick with his still-gloved hand. Finding the boy’s eyes – they were the same color as his flames, he now noticed – Tenko let the brick slide over in his bare hand, letting all five fingers get a grip around the solid material. He was soon gripping nothing but thin air, as the brick crumbled beneath his fingers, disintegrating into dust, which Tenko simply let fall to the ground.

The stranger’s eyes had widened, although he quickly let his face fall back into a blank expression. “Not bad. I see the purpose of the gloves now,” he said, as Tenko put his other glove back on, once again sealing his destructive power away. “So basically…” the stranger licked his lips, a dark shadow had fallen over his eyes, “…I just need to get those hands out of the way.”

When the boy suddenly shot forward, Tenko was already out of reach for his attack. He may have been too slow the first time, but Tenko was a fast learner, and noticing attack styles was one of his strong suits. His sneakers sent gravel and small stones flying as he used the sudden opening to land a solid punch in his opponent’s abdomen. Tenko wasn’t at all a naturally strong-built person, but the intense UA training had forced him to go above and beyond what he thought he was capable of. Broken down and built up again. And now, the other boy felt the results of that training as well. The impact made him bend over, gagging, as Tenko slowly walked in a half-circle around him. Before he had a chance to attack again, however, his opponent created a wall of fire, separating the two of them. Captivated by the stranger’s quirk, Tenko watched as those blue flames showed their true form, growing to be taller than both of them, while eagerly spreading themselves out just as wide. Truly amazing.

Tenko was forcefully brought back to reality as a ball of fire was sent flying towards him from the other side of the flame wall. Over and over again, the fireballs kept coming, allowing Tenko to do nothing but continuously throw himself to the side to avoid the rain of certain death.

“Come on, hero!” The stranger screamed. “Show me what you got!”

In one swift movement, Tenko grabbed around the edge of one of his gloves with his teeth, tearing it off his hand. The stranger’s eyes widened in excitement, as a laugh escaped his lips, seemingly amused by Tenko’s decision to let his quirk loose. Tenko, however, had no intention of killing the stranger. Instead, he hoped that the lingering threat would be enough to make his opponent give up and surrender. Bluffing was the only way for him to have a chance of winning a fight like this, when he was all on his own and without any of the usual probs integrated into his hero costume back at UA.

“This is why I focus on being a rescue hero,” Tenko mumbled to himself, jumping aside just in time to avoid getting burnt to a crisp.

“Gotcha.”

Long fingers wrapped themselves around Tenko’s wrists, squeezing his bones tightly, like snakes trying to kill off their prey. Tenko was shocked to find that he had been too distracted by the constant attacks to notice that his opponent had been inching closer and closer to him. Feeling like he was experiencing the worst form of deja vu, Tenko once again found himself pinned up against the nearest wall, staring into those eyes; blue flames still dancing with excitement. Tenko could feel heat seeping out from the stranger’s fingers, almost as an unspoken warning not to try and escape, unless he wanted both of his hands burnt off by the wrists.

“There, much better.” The bass of the stranger’s voice made the hairs on the back of Tenko’s neck stand up. “Now I’ve got you right where I want you.” With those words, the boy leaned forward, pressing his lips softly against Tenko’s. He was stunned at first, but soon Tenko could feel himself slipping away, lingering on the border between reality and just letting his senses take over. He longed for the warmth. For the intimacy.

The moment ended as abruptly as it had started, forcing Tenko to realize what had just happened.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Tenko narrowed his eyes at the other boy, trying his best to kick him away, although to no avail. At UA, he had fought a lot of different types of people, all of whom had had various fighting styles and techniques. But this. This was a first. It didn’t even make sense considering the stranger’s quirk, and it frustrated Tenko to no end. “What are you trying to accomplish?!”

The stranger just stared at him for a moment. Dumbfounded. "You seriously can't tell when someone's trying to flirt with you, huh?"

Tenko shook his head. "Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Well, does it look like I have anything to gain from manipulating you right now?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, and Tenko felt like he had just been smacked across the face. He had to be lying. He had to be lying… right? Tenko found those glowing eyes again, noticing that a more serious look had appeared in them.

The stranger wasn’t lying.

With a small sigh, Tenko relaxed his muscles, which the other boy took as an indication to lean in for another kiss. The boy tasted like ash and smoke, and in that moment, Tenko realized how much he desired both. He opened his mouth slightly, gasping for air, which the other boy took advantage of by letting his tongue slide into Tenko’s mouth. A shiver ran through his entire body; however, he was still held firmly in place by the other’s hands around his wrists. In the mix of warmth and wetness, Tenko’s tongue found something solid, instinctively caressing its round surface, before his mind even had a chance to react. When it finally did, he pulled back, confused, only to get his answer from the stranger opening his mouth, showing Tenko the metal ball of his tongue stud with a slight smirk.

As the other stood in front of him like that, Tenko took it all in. The metal all around his face, ranging from normal piercings to the more horrific surgical staples. The unusual nature of his skin, which was decorated with bruises. Some were inflicted by himself during their earlier fight, while others were much older than that, teasing stories to be told. Everything was so far away from the world Tenko had been used to, and yet he felt himself being captivated by it.

“Are you always this obvious when checking people out?” Tenko was ripped out of his own head by the sound of the other’s voice.

“Shut the fuck up,” Tenko mumbled as he blew a bit of hair out of his face. That was when he noticed that his hands were still being held above his head. “My hands,” he simply added.

With a bit of a disappointed face, the other boy let go of his wrists. Rubbing his sore wrists, Tenko looked up at him, when a thought suddenly entered his mind. He mentally slapped himself as he remembered that he was missing quite an important detail. “What is your name, by the way?”

“You can call me Dabi,” the boy answered, seemingly not bothered at all by their lack of familiarity.

“Cremation?” Tenko made a face. “How… edgy.”

His deadpan look made Dabi chuckle. “Well, you can’t deny that it fits.”

Tenko shrugged. Most of all, he was just glad to at least have a name he could call the other boy. At his lack of response, Dabi looked down at him.

“What about yourself?”

“Tenko Shimura.”

“So, hero…” Dabi started, completely ignoring Tenko’s name, as well as the glaring look he received for doing so “…what do you say we do this a bit more often, huh?”

Tenko looked up at him for a moment. Dabi, the self-proclaimed villain. In many ways the complete opposite of what Tenko was trying to become.

And he smiled.